1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a label, more particularly to a retractable label.
2. Description of the Related Art
Containers may be used to hold solids, liquids and gases. Containers have countless uses, such as holding, for example, material of medicinal utility (e.g., pills), refreshments (e.g., water, soft drinks), and food items. Some containers comprise a cap for sealing the contents therein, while others, such as, e.g., a container comprising a syringe, have plungers on one end and a needle on the other for injecting a drug into a patient.
Manufacturers and distributors typically need to provide health and safety information about a container's content to consumers. For instance, a pharmacy may need to provide detailed information regarding the proper use of a drug, or a soft drink manufacturer may need to provide nutritional details. Such information is typically provided on displays affixed to the outer surface of a container. These displays are commonly referred to as labels.
As the necessity to provide more information on labels increases, labels have become more crowded, making the information printed on them difficult to read. Some manufacturers have attempted to solve this problem by resorting to smaller text sizes, which leads to further difficulty in reading and understanding the labels. This can have serious consequences in cases where the information on a label is essential to the well being of a consumer.
There have been attempts at making labels more readable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,421 (“the '421 patent”), which is entirely incorporated herein by reference, teaches a rotatable label that allows an improvement in the presentation of information printed on a label. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,219 (“the '219 patent”), which is entirely incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system comprising a base member and a fold out pamphlet. The base member may be attached to a container, and the pamphlet can be removed from the base member and reapplied for future use. As still another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,462 (“the '462 patent”), which is entirely incorporated herein by reference, discloses a product information label system that comprises an information package, wherein the information package may be extended through a window when the container is rotated in one direction and retracted when the container is rotated in the opposite direction. This provides the advantage of concealing the information package if the information provide thereon is confidential.